The Government of Sri Lanka released new tobacco control legislation on 8 August 2012 that will see the country adopt some of the world's largest pictorial health warnings on tobacco packaging.
The Union has been working with Sri Lanka's National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) since January 2009 to strengthen legislation and improve implementation of the tobacco control law. NATA has been advocating within the government for several years to bring in the new pictorial health warnings. NATA has also engaged in public information campaigns showcasing proposed pictorial health warnings.
The new warnings will cover 80% of the tobacco package. This move brings Sri Lanka in line with other tobacco control-leading nations, such as Australia and Uruguay who require labels that cover 82.5 % and 80% of the package respectively. The warnings will include text in the three national languages: Sinhala, Tamil and English.
Pictorial health warnings on tobacco packages encourage smokers to quit and discourage non-smokers from starting. They are required under Article 11 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which Sri Lanka ratified in 2003. The new regulations will help reduce rates of tobacco consumption in Sri Lanka, where almost 40% of young people try cigarettes before the age of 10.
The regulations will contribute to further strengthening tobacco control in Sri Lanka, which has seen a decline in smoking over recent years due to strict laws banning advertising and making most public places smokefree.
The regulations are due to come into force on 8 November 2012. The Union will continue to support NATA to ensure that implementation is not delayed due to industry interference.